FAQ

Counselling

All people working in the student advisory service of the Institute of Computer Science are listed here.
For questions regarding forms, applications, registration, examination authorizations, etc. please contact the
Office Secretary. For questions regarding the structure of the study programme, credits, study plans, etc. please
contact the study advisors Dr. Henrik Brosenne (for BSc) or Dr. Anne-Kathrin Schultz (or MSc). For general questions
or problems, you can contact both study advisors.
Please visit the regular office hours of our study advisors or make an appointment. For complex issues we recommend a consultation by appointment. All consultations are confidential!
Our study advisors also can help you if you have questions or problems like exam nerves, difficulties with your thesis
or your supervisor, discrimination, duration of your studies, VISA, etc. Additionally, they know other contacts on
Göttingen Campus who might be helpful for you.

Yes, the University of Göttingen and cooperating institutions offer many advisory and information services, like
central student advisory service, psychological counselling, Career Service, counselling for handicapped
students, counselling in statistics, etc. You will find a list of all offers here. If you need further information please
contact our study advisors.

News and announcements of the Institute of Computer Science can be found here. Additionally, we have a blog where we post news regarding the study programmes, office hours of the study advisors, special events for students, etc.

The Anti-Discrimination Advisory Service for Students
offers a safe space to talk about one’s own or observed experiences of discrimination.
It is for students who have experienced discrimination, especially because of (ascribed) attributes such as appearance, colour of skin, origin, name, language or religion.
The aim of the counseling is to empower the advice-searching person in their opportunities. Every request is confidential. The needs of the person are at the center of the counseling process.

The peer-to-peer counseling for trans students at the University of Göttingen is an offer to support students who might have questions about their gender identity. The offer is directed as well to people who are perceived in an unwanted way due to their gender expression. All counseling offers are confidential and, if wanted, anonymous.

Application/registration for MSc programme

All candidates have to apply via our online application
form.
As all information is given on our web pages, please read the information and regulations carefully before you
contact us! Additionally, please contact us only if you have specific questions that cannot be answered by our
web pages. General application questions won’t be answered. We do not offer any eligibility check.

The application deadline for international students is usually April 15th and October 15th for the following
semester.
The application deadline for national and EU citizens or students with a EU degree is usually June 15th and
December 15th. As these deadlines are subject to change, please check the web pages regularly. The application
portal usually opens one month before the deadline.

The admission committee evaluates all applications after the application deadline. As we usually receive many
applications please be patient. The whole procedure can take two to three months. Due to legal reasons we are
not allowed to make any statement about a running application procedure! So please refrain from contacting us
regarding this issue. You will be notified by mail as soon as a decision has been made.

After your admission you will also get an email from Göttingen International. You will be informed about
everything you need to in that email. This will cover topics like registration at the University and living in Göttingen, etc.

The University of Göttingen offers a guest study programme. Refugees who want to be guest students at the University of Göttingen find information here. Refugees who want to study as regular MSc students please apply through the MSc application portal. There is an option „special treatment“ where you can upload information about your refugee status. Contact person in the Institute of Computer Science is our study advisor Dr. Anne-Kathrin Schultz.

The study programmes at the Institute of Computer Science offer many options to personalize your studies. Thus, there is no default study plan for all students. Depending on your interests and previous knowledge you have to create your individual study plan and select among various courses. Of course, several criteria have to be fulfilled. They are described in the course catalogue (Modulverzeichnis, only available in German) and will be described in the introductory lecture. Registered students should make an appointment for individual counselling if they need help with the study plan.

Structure of MSc programme

The MSc programme Applied Computer Science requires 120 Credit Points (C) to be successfully completed.
The regular programme length is 4 semesters. Usually, the Master thesis is done in the 4th semester. The credits
have to be collected in different subject areas. Within these subject areas the credits must be collected from
different groups of courses. This varies among the specializations. For further information please read the course catalogue (first link below “Modulverzeichnis”) or ask the representative of your specialization or the study advisor.

At the beginning of the first semester, the study advisor will provide a list of courses that are suitable for students
of the first semester. These courses are only a recommendation and not obligatory. Additionally, not all of them
should be taken. Especially for new students who are not yet familiar with our study programme some of these
courses might be a good start.

Yes. For new international MSc students we offer an introductory course on the first day in the period of
lectures. This course is not mandatory but highly recommended. In this lecture, you will be informed about the
general structure of the programme, will meet the dean of studies and the student advisors, and can ask all
questions you have. This introductory course will be followed by a poster session, which will take place in the
Institute of Computer Science. During this poster session, all research groups of the institute as well as the
representatives of the specializations present a poster with an overview of their courses and research. This gives
you the opportunity to inform yourself about the specializations, the research topics and get in contact with
supervisors. As this poster session is open for all MSc students you will also have the opportunity to get in
contact with advanced MSc students. Also the student representatives (“Fachgruppe”) have a poster and
will be glad to answer your questions. Their office is on floor -1 and you are always welcome to come by.

This depends on your previous knowledge and your interests. There are various specializations, a short overview
can be found here. A very good opportunity to get in contact with the research groups is during the poster session
for MSc students at the beginning of every semester. We recommend to decide for a specialization at the
beginning of the second semester at the latest.

Every student needs a study plan to finish his studies successfully. This study plan has to be confirmed by the
respresentative of the chosen specialization or the supervisor (mentor) as well as the study advisor. We
recommend to create the study plan at the beginning of the second semester at the latest. As the MSc programme
is a programme with many options there is no default study plan for all students. Depending on your interests
and previous knowledge you can (and have to) create your individual study plan and select among various
courses. Of course, several criteria have to be fulfilled. They are described in the course catalogue (Modulverzeichnis, only available in German) and will be described in the introductory lecture. Please contact the study advisor for more information.
If you don’t know which specialization you want to choose we recommend to start with courses from core
computer science as you have to collect at least 30 C in this subject area. If you have decided for a specialization
and have found a supervisor, you must also confirm your study plan with him/her because many supervisors
expect certain courses to be done before you can start with a research project in their group. Registered students
should make an appointment with our study advisor for individual counselling if they need help with the study
plan.

If you have just attended a few courses before you want to change, you can easily change the specialization. Just
take courses of the other specialization. But please adapt your study plan and discuss it with the study advisor.
The new study plan must also be signed by the representative of the new specialization. If you have already
finished most courses in a specialization we do not recommend to change it. Usually it is not possible to credit
courses of a specific specialization to another specialization. Thus, you will have to start again to collect many
credit points, which will extend the length of your studies. But in any case please contact the study advisor. Usually, it is also possible to find a solution.

For MSc students, we offer every semester (first Monday in the period of lectures) a poster session where all
research groups of the Institute of Computer Science as well as the representatives of the specializations present
a poster with their courses and research. The participation is not mandatory but highly recommended. The event
is announced at UniVZ as „Introductory course Applied Computer Science (M.Sc.)”. The poster session gives
you the opportunity to inform yourself about specializations, research topics and get in contact with supervisors.
But you don’t have to wait for the poster session to contact a prospective supervisor. If you are interested in
doing a research project in a certain research group, you can also contact the respective person directly via email,
visit his/her office hours or contact him/her after a lecture or a seminar. Please note that there are further research
groups in the “applied” specializations where you can also do your thesis. As most supervisors require certain
courses and/or seminars as previous knowledge to do a research project in their group it is highly recommended
to contact the supervisor early enough. We recommend to choose a specialization and a supervisor at the
beginning of the second semester of your MSc studies at the latest.

Please read the preceding question/answer for more information about how to find a research project and a supervisor.
All information regarding registration and submission of a thesis can be found here below „Bachelor‘s and
Master‘s Thesis“. Please contact our study advisors if you need more information.

Teaching/learning management

The content of modules is described in the course catalogue of the respective study programme. The current
course catalogue can be found in the first link below „Modulverzeichnis zu der Prüfungs- und
Studienordnung“ (currently only available in German) here. The first pages of the course catalogue give an
overview of the structure of the MSc programme and information about required courses in different fields like
core computer science and specializations (currently only available in German). This is followed by the
description of the modules. Most modules are described in English.

The University of Göttingen offers different online services for information and study management like UniVZ
(online course catalogue), StudIP (study and learning management system), and FlexNow (electronical
examination administration). You will find a link to all services and their description on this webpage. All
services are available through the eCampus which is a portal for students in Göttingen.

The main functions of the services are:UniVZ: All courses that are taught in a certain semester are listed there. For each course the date, time, room,
lecturer, module it belongs to, etc. is given. For many courses, also a link to a web page is given where you can
find more information about the lecture and exams. Additionally, you will find information about people
working at the university, like their phone number or address.

Stud.IP: Usually, lecturer use this management system for registration to their courses (NOT for examinations!
This has to be done via FlexNow!), provide learning material and other news. Additionally, you can use this tool
to get in contact with fellow students in the course or start discussions. But please note that NOT ALL lecturers
are using Stud.IP. The best way to get all information you need about a certain course is to check UniVZ, StudIP,
as well as the web page of the course.

FlexNow: this is the electronical examination administration where you have to register for exams, can view
results of exams or create a summary of academic attainments. More information can be found on the web page.
Please note that you have to register for exams in due time.

Most courses start in the first week of the period of lectures. Here you can find the period of lectures for current
and upcoming semesters. In the first lecture, usually all information regarding the structure of the course, the
content and examinations is given. Thus, it is highly recommended to attend this first course. If you cannot attend
please contact fellow students to be informed about everything. Practical courses often take place during the time
between two periods of lectures, i.e. often in February/March or August/September. This will be announced on
the web pages of the courses or in UniVZ.

We highly recommend to learn together with other students. Applied Computer Science is a complex study
programme, which you complete successfully much easier in team work rather than by working on it alone. Teams give
you the opportunity to interact with other students, to examine your knowledge, to compare your results and to ask and answer questions that will deepen your knowledge.
The best way to get in contact with other students is during/after a lecture, in an exercise group, or during the poster session (every semester on the first day of
the period of lectures) which is open to all MSc students. It is also possible to get in contact with other
participants of a course via Stud.IP.

Regulations/examinations

For our study programmes specific regulations regarding admission, structure of the programme, modules belonging to the programme, examinations, duration of studies, etc. apply.
For the MSc programme, all regulations - the “Allgemeine Prüfungsordnung” (APO), the “Prüfungs- und Studienordnung”
and the “Modulverzeichnis zu der Prüfungs- und Studienordnung” - can be found here (currently only available in German, but the description of the modules is given in English at the end of the Modulverzeichnis). If you have questions please contact our study advisors.

For all examinations, you have to register via FlexNow in due time. Here you will find further information about
the exam administration FlexNow. If you have any questions or problems concerning FlexNow please contact
the examination office.

All information is given in the first lecture, at StudIP, at UniVZ, or on the webpage of the respective lecture. If (and only if) you do not find the required information, please contact the person responsible for the course in question.

International students/studying abroad

General information for regular international and exchange students at the University of Göttingen can be found
here. More detailed information for international students who participate in a regular course of studies can be
found here. Göttingen International offers various information about studies, living, expenses, etc. There is also a
buddy exchange service for new international students.

If you want to study abroad, e.g. with ERASMUS+, you will find more information here and here. First contact person at the Faculty of
Mathematics and Computer Science for international matters and study abroad is Dr. Hartje Kriete.

The University of Göttingen offers a diverse range of certificate programmes and certificates for foreign
languages, e.g. if you plan to study abroad. More information regarding certificate programmes of the University
of Göttingen can be found here.

General information

In case of an emergency call: 110 (police).
In case of an accident call 112 (fire brigade/ambulance).
The hotline of the University for fault reporting (Störmeldezentrale) is: 0551-39-1171

More information regarding safety on the campus can be found here and here (pdf, in German):
Please also have a look at fire alarm information sheets and inform you about rescue routes. These sheets are
located next to the elevator on every floor.

After my studies

The section Business Contacts and Knowledge Transfer of the University of Göttingen is the central point of
contact for all internal and external questions concerning the cooperation between science and business. The
Start-up support team offers workshops, seminars and special activities for business founders and for those
interested in self-employment.